I am feeling better.

OK, after about a week of feeling like some terrible being ripped my throat inside out and used it on a cheese grater, I feel better. It could be due to some of the pictures below....but is probably due to the fact that I went to see the doctor and he gave me a whole slew of potions including antibiotics, decongestants, and narcotics. I have never take narcs before....wow, there is alot to be said to codeine. I feel all better, I must have really been pitiful. Ahh, I don't care. I am almost back to my fighting strength!

You wold think I would hold off buying any more of these Japanese sewing books until I picked up some Japanese, right? Well, wrong. I saw a pretty cool tutorial over on the Purl Bee about how to decipher Japanese patterns, so now nothing can stop me! HAHAHAHAHAHa Well, that is what I thought until I opened the book and saw that this one put the other books to shame. It is so horrendously complicated, but maybe I am just too stoned (I do have the doctor's permission to take codeine cough syrup at night) to understand what I am seeing. And it is in Japanese after all. I really am going to figure it all out one of these days. I just love the simplicity of the patterns...well apparent simplicity.

Oh and the cosmetics. I am a cosmetic whore. Not really makeup, but I really love creams and moisturizers. Anyway, I have tired tons and tons of products over the years and have had my favorites, but this Nurimin RE9 set from Arbonne is great...really. My poor skin is so damaged, but I thought they wouldn't send to APOs, well they do! Hot dog! My skin is so happy again.

This is one of my latest bags....oh my goodness. I am really feeling like keeping this one. The fabric is from my Amy Butler Vault, but it is going to a great lady. I get to meet some pretty awesome army wives in this little sewing gig of mine and this lady takes the cake. She is a friend of friend and I call her my friend now too.

This lovely fabric is on it's way to me too! All the way from Japan! Shannon of Tokyo Mommy Fabric and Craft Supplies went on the hunt just for me. I wanted Japanese fabric with text on it. And boy did she deliver! I love it! Now I really am on a fabric diet. But in case you are curious I will be getting some of Heather Ross's Mendicino and Amy Butler's August Fields. (sorry about that hyperlink...Amy doesn't have this collection up on her website yet) Yumm. But I think that is the last of it. Heather Baliey is really tempting me, but I will go to a real fabric shop and look at that when I go back to the States! Just about 2 more weeks and I will be flopped on the beach in Hawaii with a good book or making sand castles....or hopefully getting rained on! We are going to Scotland too....I should get some rain there, right?

OK, Off to pick up kiddos from school!

Cheers!

I am sick

You know, there was a time in my life I could say that I never got sick. I just didn't. I was as healthy as a horse. But, I must now admit that that is something of the distant past. Ever since moving down here to the middle of Australia, I have never been ill as often as I am here. Shortly after we got here I caught some mysterious virus that caused the lining of my heart to swell. I am sure you can imagine my terror as I was sitting sewing and experienced not one heart attack, but like 5 in a row. For Pete's sake! I was only 31, and in pretty good shape. Well, after much deliberation with the cardio specialist at the Alice Springs hospital, he decided it was just a virus. Oh...OK. Does it have a name? Nope, but you will probably have flare ups from time to time. Oh great. Well, as long as it is not worms gnawing away at my left ventricle, I guess I am good to hook, right?

My latest bout with the grimm reaper has either been strep throat or a flu. My Emma brought it home to me. Ethan, Sam and I quickly caught it and I think it is beginning to reproduce in my husband's bloodstream. I am a horrible patient. I figure if I am awake, there are things to be done! By Golly! So I started off my day this morning with just that mindset. I got my little cup of coffee and stood in the middle of my studio, finding my peace, when I passed out. Yay me. Apparently I had a fairly high fever, so I got up, blotted up the coffee and went back to bed. I did finish the Gimenez set later in the day....but for most of the day I just tired to read a trashy romance novel and just ended up reading the same line about 200 times.


I do want to give a some happy thanks to Leah over at Hyena in petticoats. I saw her tutorial for this Cathedral Window quilt and just had to try it. My friend Tambur and Ondrea were working on one here, but I just couldn't figure it out. Looked so insanely complicated. Well, this tutorial made it so clear! I put a tiny 2" of cotton batting behind each colored diamond since when this quilt is finished it is going to be a baby gift for a dear friend.

Since I clearly need more Vitamin C in my diet, Emma and I went over to the empty house down the street and picked a bunch of Grapefruit. These are so nice. They are pink grapefruit and are so juicy and sweet. Some friends moved back to the States and left us their juicer. I cut the fruit and Emma and Ethan take turns juicing them. Then we drink it all up. Good times. As a side note....I really hate the membrane of grapefruit. It is nasty bitter, so if I am going to eat grapefruit I peel it like an orange and separate the flesh from the membranes. I don't know why I am sharing that, but there you go.

I finished this set. I did some hand stitching on the flower while laying in bed this afternoon. Ok...go look at the tutorial on the Cathedral Window quilt, and have a great day. We leave for our R&R on the 12th of August. I think I am going to be able to make all my bags on my list by then! Yay!

The Theraflu is kicking in....good night.

I put some more stuff in my shop

This is going to be a quick post. I stocked a few bags in my shop and my "cheater, cheater pumpkin eater" quilt as well. The kids have all been ill so sewing has been off and on over the past couple days. Emma is fine when she is sick, she is like me....she comes up with a little project and just kinda keeps to herself. She did a bunch of drawings for our family in the States and she also is on a pillow making binge. She has been dumping out my scrap bags and cutting away to make little pillows. Quite a productive little sickie. The boys are another story. Poor little things. They need to be held and have their backs scratched and have stories read to them and special drinks made for their sore throats....good thing I have had so much training as a nurse!




I will also be listing the "Sling Back Pack" as soon as I put it's button on. It will be pretty cheap since it is a tester. I am beat right now though. Time for bed and I am keeping my fingers crossed I don't get the crud my kids are sharing. Nasty little critters! Just kidding, I love them.

A couple new thingys....

Good Morning!

Here are some new thingys I just finished....I was pretty excited about them, so I decided to share.

This is a new style sling back pack. It is lined with more Nigella and is just so darn cute. J. Love inspired this bag and I am working on another for her son so he can use it as a school bag. Hopefully I will have some pictures of it up on my Flickr Gallery later today. This one is a tester and I will be stocking it in my Etsy shop (after I put a little stone button on) for a nice little bargain....but if you buy it, you have to review it for me, and be honest. I have worn it around the house to see how it feels and te wieght and all that, but it has been so long since I carried a back pack, it just feels alien to me.

This is the inside of J. Love's Stu. I went a bit wild when I put this one together, but I am thrilled with the result. My pictures just don't do it credit. My Emma keeps coming up to it on the shelf and she gazes at it....and tells me "Mom....I think I want to make one just like this one". Emma is as big a fabric snob as I am, so I take this as quite a compliment. Oh and in case you can't tell from the picture, those are 4 different fabrics (not including the ACU) all stripped and sewn together in a patchwork style, then quilted of course. LOVE it!

OK, and I also love these next 2 Elaine wallets. This one is with a strip of Marimekko and a small polished green apatite (one of the same type we find in our front yard....so it is kinda a bit of Australia sent to this fine recipient) on the button. the bottom of this bag is a bee and I embroidered "buzz" on the bottom. I didn't take a picture before I sent it out.

This Elaine wallet wanted to be a bit bigger, so it got 2 buttons. I like the little "feet" at the bottom and I did a "buzz" on this one too. Can you see it?

On a different note, I had the most horribly real dream last night. It was about someone who was once good friend of mine dying. It was just awful, I can't seem to shake it. I was an Army Nurse again and I couldn't help him. I guess I should go to AKO and see if I can track him down.

My website is messed up. Grrrrrr

OK, I am pretty annoyed with this website of mine at the moment (www.campfollowerbags.com). I am having trouble fixing things. So I am just going to make a little list here and maybe it will help you all out trying to navigate it.

If you would like to see pictures of my civilian bags please follow this link to my Flickr Gallery
http://flickr.com/photos/campfollowerbagsandquilts/sets/72157600455014158/

If you would like to see pictures of some of my quilts (Hero quilts and some of the other quilts I have made) follow this link to my Quilt gallery
http://flickr.com/photos/campfollowerbagsandquilts/collections/72157600455137507/

If you are looking for pictures of Hero Bags follow this link....
http://flickr.com/photos/campfollowerbagsandquilts/sets/72157600454876574/

Finally if you are trying to contact me, my normal email for my little sewing business is just not working. I have no idea why and don't even know where to begin to fix it. Hopefully my web designer will be able to help! But I have set up a new email address through yahoo.

campfollowerbagslady@yahoo.com
give that a try and I will get back with you as soon as possible!

Please let me know if you are seeing anything that I am not catching. My web designer is in the hospital with her son, so I can't really bother her at the moment.

Something I never thought I would have to discuss with my little Princess

Hi Y'all,

Wow, has there been a ton going on this month. Gosh. Excursions to ancient valleys, watching husbands race camels, and so much sewing! I don't think we have eaten at the dining room table in about a month since I have so much bag guts stacked in neat organized heaps. But that is about to change! I think I am going to meet my self-imposed deadline of getting all my bags out before we jaunt off to see the world. I can't wait to return to an empty table and 2 empty closets. Ahhhhh. Then I will have to open back up and have you send me all your stuff and get all backed up again. Well, actually I am not planning on getting backed up again. I REALLY am going to take even fewer orders and see if I can whittle my turn around down to something more reasonable than the, what is it now? about 5 months? One of the sets on the table right now is quite the record breaker for me. But I am doing a completely custom bag for her, so that does add some more time onto the whole deal. I was reading my website the other day and almost choked on my tea. It says somewhere that my goal is 3 weeks turn around! Holy cow! Was I drunk when I wrote that? It has NEVER been 3 weeks. I need to change that. Personally I think the wait is worth it...but I am totally bias. As a matter of fact, I am now carrying the "Busy Tree Messenger bag" I decided that I needed it. I love it. If you decided that you need one to, let me know and I will make you one like it...in September when I get back.


Look at all these wallets! I love it when I get a small stack of my sewing. I just feel so darn productive! The mail has been running funny down here, so I have had more than my share of bags sitting in the studio, and I almost felt like a real designer. All my lovely little projects sitting all tidy on my shelves. Kinda made me want to try to make a backlog of bags just to sit around and inspire me. I have made a TON of bags over the last 2 years. It amazes me when I look back through my Flickr Gallery for a picture of one bag to send someone. Good thing I am doing something I LOVE. I do so LOVE sewing for you all. Thank you so much for letting me have the honor of making something special for you. Something to celebrate the love you have for your men or something special just for you.

OK, before I get all sappy let me tell you a story about my little Emma. Erica and Amy (since I now know you read this...HI) and I went to the big park yesterday after school with all our kiddos. Erica, Amy and I were all set up enjoying the day watching the kids play. Sam (my 3 year old) was all furious because I woke him up from his nap and just freaking out, so my attention was pretty much on him. We had been there about 30 minutes when Emma (my 6.5 year old daughter) came stomping up to us. She was so angry she would have had smoke coming out of her ears if she was a cartoon character. Now, for the record, she is a very passionate little girl. Her emotions are strong. She announced that she got in a fight with 3 Aborigine big girls. They had been making fun of her singing and she told them that she would fight them. Wow, we gotta look at odds....my snaggly toothed 6 year old verses 3 aborigine teenagers? Yeah, not going to be good. Needless to say one took her up on the offer and after hitting her with a bag and smacking her in the face, Emma admitted defeat and came storming back up to momma. It took us a while to get the whole story out of her, but we had a talk about lady-like behaviour and just staying away from bigger Aborigine girls. I never thought I would have to tell my little princess not to fight! For heavens sake. I don't fight!

***OK, for those of you who are new to my blog, I live in the middle of Australia and there are "heaps" of Aborigines in town who have been kicked out of their various tribes and camps for being trouble makers or just too drunk and strung out. I am not a big fat raciest, I was shocked as any sheltered, American Army wife would be upon first arriving here. The Aborigines in town are a rough lot. Someday I will do a blog on just them, but this should be a happy place:O)

Well, Emma is fine and a bit more humble. Part of me wants to go hunt those girls down and go all "tomb raider" on them....but it just wouldn't do for the US Army detachment commander's wife to get kicked out of Australia for fighting, now would it? I just need to keep my little goslings tucked closer under my wings.

OK, I am going back to the sewing table. I have some great things brewing over there! Oh and I should be getting my Garden Party from Anna Maria Horner soon. If you are one of the gals whose bags I have not quite started yet you can still change your mind about fabric. This is going to be a great collection! Also I will be getting some of Pop Garden by Heather Bailey. Amy Butler has another line coming out soon August Fields (the website is not cooperating, so the hyper link is not working either) It will be a more heavy weight line like Nigella.

Cheers!

Tia

Camel Race and Salsa Recipe

Yesterday was the Camel Cup here in Alice Springs, Australia. My mate was a Camel Jockey/handler for the day. There he is riding one of the camels. It was a pretty fun day, lots of people and the sun was nice too. The kids all got to race in the kids camel cup (they rode hobby horses with camel heads). Lots of fun, if you are ever in town this time of year you should stop by.


Ok I get asked for my salsa recipe all the time. As a matter of fact the only reason I am invited to some parties is because I might bring my salsa. Now I don't know if it is really any good, or if we are all just starved for Tex-Mex so it tastes good. But I like it, so here you go....try it out.

My wonderful friend, Kerri, first gave me the recipe back on Bailey Street. Our husbands were both deployed and we (about 5 moms and all our kiddos) would hang out in her yard while the kids played and we gossiped. I think that was my "best" deployment as far as deployments go. I had such great friends and we were all in the same sucky boat.

Kerri's Salsa
-----------------------
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (drained)
1 onion
couple cloves of garlic
entire bunch of cilantro
jalapenos (or fresh peppers to taste, scotch bonnet, habinero...whatever you want)
salt (I put a bunch of Salt into mine)
juice from 1 lime

put everything into a blender and blend it all up. Bamm you have salsa!

Great sewing days and a sale over in my Etsy

Hey there everyone,

I sure hope you are all doing well. It is nice and warm where most of you are, but here it is pretty chilly. There was frost in the yard this morning when I went out to photograph my little doll quilt for the swap (pictured below). The frozen crunch felt nice beneath my bare feet. I guess I should go find a juicer for my lemons and grapefruit since they are supposed to be harvested after the first frost....well at least that is what I was told.

This is the Stull set. I am working on another quite similar, but in DCU with the Ohio Sky pallet of Midwest Modern. I am so in love with it. I just am crazy for the wallet and clutch. the clutch is so extensively quilted it is a tactile delight. I took the zippy wallet outside to work on yesterday while the kids played. It was such a lovely day...only about 70F and not a cloud int he sky. I have never seen sky so blue as here in the Australian outback. Texas had nothing on Australia. So as I sat and listened to the kids play "fairy and the hunters" I made little French knots and sewed on army buttons. It turned out so lovely. Someday I am going to make one for myself...

This is my finished Doll Quilt for the 4th swap. See it has army buttons too....I just wanted to sit outside yesterday and my smut novel is pretty lame at the moment. It is one of Johanna Lindsey's earlier books and the heroine as too stupid for my taste and the dude is pretty much a whiny baby too. But I am almost half way finished, so I can't quit now! Instead of reading I sewed on buttons and made French knots. Good way to spend the afternoon.

Second to last thing...I put my bags on "sale" over on my Etsy shop. I just wanted to sell them before we leave for our round the world adventure. I think we are going to stop and see some great friends in England...so I have vintage linens on my mind. Not that I need any more textiles in my home, but when you have an addiction such as I do, one must be prepared!

Last thing, I am on my way out the door to cheer my mate and his troops on in the Camel Cup. I dropped him off a while ago so he can learn to make the camels drop to their knees. Camels are pretty strange critters, but there are some good looking ones out there. I just hope he doesn't kill himself. Wouldn't that stink? Camels are no where near as comfortable to ride as horses. Something strange about their gait.

OK, cheers ladies!

No internet for HOW many days???

OK, these pictures are in the wrong order again. Oh well. So.....I have not had Internet for the past 4 days. Seems something happened to the line and half the town was off the net. Where else on Earth would this happen? Well, I guess there are plenty of places, but I am just rolling with the punches. I had no idea how addicted to the net I was, until I kept finding myself in the kitchen trying to resuscitate my net juice. We finally just left town. My website is all dorked up too. Sorry about that, gals. I have tried and tired to get hold of my web designer, but I have heard nothing from her. If you want to see my bags and quilts, please make yourself at home on my Flickr gallery. Feel free to comment, I think I almost have Flickr figured out, I have been using it for a couple years, so I am a bit of a slow learner.

This is the latest diaper changing pad I have made. I LOVE it. Kinda has a Zen thing going. I dyed that turquoise linen myself. I think it looks spectacular. Monday will be a big shipping day for me. Thank goodness. You will be hearing from me if your bags are ready. Well, I hope the net will remain up long enough for me to send you emails....and upload to Flickr.

We went to Palm Valley Yesterday with some friends. It was so pretty and the changing landscape on the 2 hour drive was so lovely...we saw a herd of wild horses, roos, and a wild ass (donkey) as well as a shocking amount of Camel poo. Wow, those guys really have some impressive blowouts.

Palm Valley is an ancient valley that is leftover from the paleolithic period (I am not really sure if that is the proper term, I am no archaeologist) and you need a sturdy 4x4 to get into the valley. We actually followed a really tall 4x4 tourist bus the last Km into the valley. I was pretty sure it was going to tip over and spill Germans. But it made it. Amazing.

Here I am with 2 of my kiddos. Ethan was off trying to find dinosaur bones. He did find some kangaroo vertebrae, so he was pretty thrilled.

We are in the midst of the most busy month here in Alice. Beanie festival and independence day carnival last weekend, The Alice show (a county fair sort of thing) where everyone in Alice Springs....and the Northern Territory show up. Too busy for me and my "thing" with crowds. We didn't go. I stayed home sewing and then went to palm Valley. Next week is the Camel Cup. My husband will be riding a Camel in the race this year. I am not really thrilled about it, but I will go to support him and keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't fall off one of those ungainly beasts and breaks his back.

I sure hope you all had a great 4th of July. We are so lucky to be Americans.

xo,

Tia